Remember how this was supposed to be the worst NBA draft class of all time?
In the weeks/months/years leading up to the 2024 NBA draft, anyone with a platform went out of their way to let everyone know how much they hated this year’s crop of prospects. “No superstars.” “Worse than 2000.” “Trade out if you can.”
Whoops.
While this year’s class likely doesn’t have a transformational franchise superstar, we’ve seen that it has more than enough capable role players and potential starters to make all the fretting, worrying, and handwringing seem silly in retrospect.
Each month at Elevator Doors HQ, we’ll take a tour through the 2024-2025 NBA rookie class and see how it continues to evolve. This won’t be a traditional ranking – plenty of places to find that if you’re seeking one. Rather, think of this as a thermometer – a quick temperature check on what’s shaping up to be an interesting crop of young high-level role players.
The Top Dog: Jared McCain.
Even though McCain has cooled off slightly since his scalding start, the 6-3 shooter out of Duke has thrived among the worst possible circumstances.
The Philadelphia 76ers are unforgivably terrible so far this season. Picked by many to challenge the Boston Celtics for Eastern Conference superiority after a terrific offseason that saw them land Paul George in free agency, the 76ers are a listless 4-14 at the time of this writing and have yet to string together consecutive games where the whole team looks functional.
McCain has been the lone bright spot in a November that Philly fans would like to forget. He stepped in for an injured Tyrese Maxey and averaged just under 20 points per game on 45/38/89 shooting splits. He is already capable of creating his own shot, but he excels at shooting off the catch. He never stops moving – he is constantly cutting and relocating. Even though an undersized Maxey/McCain backcourt would struggle defensively, they might be so dynamic offensively that it wouldn’t matter – think prime Lillard/McCollum vibes.
Even if this 76ers season goes down the tubes, McCain’s emergence and potential Rookie of the Year campaign is a strong silver lining.
Charging Strong: Stephon Castle.
The counting stats won’t blow anyone’s hair back, but Castle is every bit the defensive menace many scouts expected him to be coming out of UConn.
Castle is a terror defensively. He knows he has the best shotblocker in the world behind him, so he feels comfortable letting it fly and getting into an opponent’s jersey. Castle is already one of the Spurs’ best help-and-recover perimeter defenders – he is constantly closing space on 3-pointers that initially seem wide open.
Perhaps more encouraging is his emerging offensive game. It was unclear whether Castle would be enough of a shooting threat to earn minutes as a rookie – everyone knew the defense/athleticism/attitude was at an NBA caliber, but it is hard to stay on the floor if the other team doesn’t have to guard you. Castle is already ahead of expectations on that end, scoring double figures in 12 games in November and topping 20 points three times. He doesn’t shy away from the ball and remains an aggressive cutter. If this is already Castle’s floor, his ceiling is even higher than I expected.
This is exactly the kind of player who belongs alongside Victor Wembanyama.
Pump The Brakes: Dalton Knecht.
Look, I understand why everyone is freaking out about Dalton Knecht. Anytime a Laker rookie exceeds expectations, fans/media treat it as if the second coming of James Worthy has emerged. Let’s never forget how Talen Horton-Tucker had people calling him as “untouchable” trade asset after a couple good preseason games.
Let’s just take a quick look at a few NBA players born after Dalton Knecht (April 29, 2001): Anthony Edwards, Scottie Barnes, Apleren Sengun, Brandon Miller, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero…you get it.
Everyone who paid attention to Tennessee last year knew Knecht could play. The skills are apparent, particularly that jumper. He never should have lasted until pick No. 17. But Knecht is in the ideal situation with the ideal lead playmaker creating wide-open 3s for him. After Knecht exploded for 37 points against Utah, you would think the other 16 teams had passed on Jayson Tatum.
Honestly, Knecht is playing exactly how I expected – a few huge scoring nights in between several single-digit outings with sub-standard defense and very few playmaking opportunities for his teammates.
If Knecht was doing exactly this in, say, Memphis, would he be second in Rookie of the Year odds? Hard to say. But let’s keep things in perspective here. Good for the Lakers for landing a solid rotation piece in the middle of the first round, particularly when it seems as though the players selected around Knecht’s spot can’t score like him. But let’s not let those purple-and-gold glasses color how we evaluate him.
The Sleeping Giant: Donovan Clingan.
Before he started missing time due to a knee injury, Clingan was making a serious case to be Portland’s full-time starting center ahead of two well-paid NBA veterans: Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.
As soon as Clingan steps on the floor, he blocks out the sun. He is already a genuine difference maker and legitimate defensive anchor for a young Portland squad that craves his stabilizing presence. The Blazers have so much young, fun score-first firepower that Clingan fits in seamlessly with his Bigfoot-with-a-lunchpail mentality. Even though you would think his limited footspeed would hinder his ability to challenge shots, Clingan erases anything within his eyeline. He blocks 4.6 shots per 36 minutes, joining only Victor Wembanyama as the only players at or over 4.
The Blazers need to trade at least one of their centers (ideally the extremely expendable Ayton) to clear time for Clingan to play at least 20 minutes per game once he’s healthy again. The Blazers have rarely made sense as a basketball team since the Damian Lillard trade. Things finally click into place whenever Clingan steps on the floor.
My Guy: Bub Carrington.
Each draft, I zero on in a player who may or may not live up to expectations, but I end up rooting for him anyway because I just like watching him play.
This year’s “My Guy” is Bub Carrington.
I was so bummed out when the Washington Wizards drafted him. That’s typically where draft prospects go to be forgotten. The Wiz went 0-for-November, but at least Carrington showed some exciting lashes.
Even though his efficiency isn’t quite there yet and he never gets to the foul line, he is so slick with his dribble and possesses range well beyond the 3-point line. He also shows much better playmaking skills than we typically see from these explosive combo guards – his assist percentage is extremely encouraging, especially given the context of his team. I’m putting the over-under on top three Sixth Man of the Year finishes at 2.5.
